The present disclosure is directed to an improved toothbrush handle, and more particularly to a toothbrush handle which is of substantial length and size to enable it to be grasped in the hand of a user, and to otherwise enable use of the toothbrush in the ordinary and intended fashion. It is, however, constructed in a special way that deals with a particular problem as will be described.
Toothbrushes are ordinarily formed of plastic and are formed with a plastic handle of substantial length and cross-sectional area. A very popular brand uses a handle of approximately five inches in length. The handle is typically more narrow at the distal end, having a width of perhaps 0.25 or 0.3 inches. The thickness typically is in the range of about 0.2 inches. However, the handle is somewhat wider near the head and can be as wide as 0.5 inches for a common and popular brand. Ordinarily, they are formed of plastic, typical plastics being polyethylene or polypropylene. They are typically solid. It has been regrettably discovered that such toothbrush handles will accept sharpening by abrading the handle which then can be converted into relatively sharply pointed dangerous instruments. This therefore creates a security problem in prisons.
The toothbrush can be sharpened by abrading the lower portion of the handle, stroking in a particular direction and thereby converting the toothbrush into a sharp pointed instrument. Indeed, they have been sharpened and converted into dangerous instruments resulting in fatal stab wounds. The present disclosure sets forth a toothbrush which provides the same dental service in that it includes the customary head with bristles and is supported on a handle of approximately the same length, sufficient to enable proper and ordinary dental hygiene. Nevertheless, the toothbrush of the present disclosure sets forth a structure which will not accept the sharpening and which therefore provides an improved handle. The handle thus supports the head with bristles and additionally enables use in the customary and traditional fashion yet does this with a structure which will not permit sharpening of the handle.
The improved toothbrush of this disclosure is therefore summarized as a toothbrush having a head supporting the conventional tufts of bristles on the head and has a handle attached to the head. The handle is of substantial length enabling the toothbrush to be held in the hand of practically every user, whether large or small, and also has sufficient strength to enable the toothbrush to be used in the ordinary fashion. The handle, however, will not accept sharpening because it is constructed of a relatively soft plastic such as polypropylene, and is constructed with significant open cutouts in the length of the handle. The handle is made of two or more parallel frame members which are cross connected at spaced locations. The handle is made with multiple open space cutouts. Moreover, it is made of a somewhat softer plastic material which has filler material in it. The filler material, an inert material, reduces the ability of the handle to be abraded and sharpened to a sharp point. Moreover, the construction of the handle will not permit sharpening to such a point in light of the fact that the handle has lengthwise cutouts which reduce the ability of the handle to be sharpened and form a deadly instrument.